Sunday, 20 September 2009

John Geering

thanks for this info about Puss and Boots...all the best PeterIt seems a lifetime ago that John (Keith) and I got together to create Puss 'n' Boots. My original title was Cat Hates Dog, but Ian Chisholm (Chiz), the (comic genius) editor of the Sparky at the time, came up with the one that was used. Years later, John and I could never agree about who had invented Puss's dear nephew, Tich, whose conversation largely consisted of the word "Baggle!" I am convinced it was him, he thought it was me. Baggledy-baggle! In these politically correct days, we would no longer be able to get away with stories such as the one where Puss and Tich were, respectively, the front and rear ends of a pantomime horse (I wish I could remember why), and Tich rather spoiled things by lighting a cigar. I can easily remember the progression from a single page, quite conventional story, to the latter days, when John was doing most of the scripting. Without John's uninhibited script writing/editing, the series would never have taken the zany direction that made it what it became - we must hold the record for the longest speech balloons in the history of D.C. Thomson - woe betide the week that we got a balloon lettering artist who had to have the jokes explained to him, and still didn't see them. Perhaps the comment by Spike Milligan, that Goon Show scripts took an illogical situation and treated it logically, is relevant to Puss 'n' Boots. Ah . . . Happy Days, as Chiz used to say.

thanks for the background info...loved the details in Puss and Boots..My favourite of John's is Bananaman and Puss and Boots.